London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Paddington 1901

Report on the vital statistics and sanitary work for the year 1901

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small-pox.
Case No. 5.—R. B., m., 18. Date of onset uncertain; rash out 19th October; to hospital 21st
October; last vaccinated 12 or 13 years ago.
Patient, a Brazilian, with no occupation, arrived at Southampton from South America
on ath October, coming to London the same day. He stayed at the C- Hotel up
to the 8th, when he moved into Paddington. He was much about London, sight-seeing, &c.
A communication was addressed to the Medical Officer of Health, of Southampton, and it
was ascertained that there had been a case of small-pox on the steamship by which patient
arrived. The ship case was in the person of a girl, aged 3 years, who had a confluent attack which
proved fatal at the Southampton Hospital on 11th October. The case was said to have been
strictly isolated when on board the steamship, no one apparently knowing the nature of the child's
illness except the Ship's Surgeon, Purser, and Stewardess.
Case No. 6.—R. L., m., 37. Onset 12th November; rash out 15th November; to hospital
17th November. Patient a coach-painter working in Marylebone; vaccinated
in infancy only.
Nothing has been ascertained as to the origin of this case.
Case No. 7.—M. F., m., 28. Onset 13th November; rash out 16th November; to hospital
18th November. Patient, a drapers' salesman; last re-vaccinated in 1887.
Attack very modified.
Case No. 8.—A. B., m., 27. Onset 12th or 13th November; rash out 16th November; to
hospital 18th November. Patient, a shopwalker; vaccinated in infancy
only. Attack modified.
Case No. 9.—B. R., m. 34. Onset 17th November; Rash out 20th November; to hospital
20th November. Patient a salesman; vaccinated in infancy only.
An assistant, F. K, employed at same place as the above, was ill with indefinite symptoms and
some sort of eruption from about October 29th to November 1st. Another assistant, J. W., was
in the sick-room with him on November 1st. A. B. (Case 8 above) occupied the second bed in the
room where F. K. usually slept. The men also, it is believed, frequented the same club-room.
F. K. visited his brother, residing at Battersea, on November 1st or 2nd. On the loth the
brother was taken ill, but his disease (small-pox) was not diagnosed until his wife sickened with
luemorrhagio small-pox on the 30th. Her case terminated fatally. Between the loth and 30th
the brother was visited by a large number of friends and relations, but nothing is known of any
cases arising among the visitors. J. W. was for some few days in the sick-room after November
1st, and returned to work on the 11th of the month. On the 16th he was found in a faint in the
lavatory, and a fellow-worker took him home with him for a week-end to set him up. On November
21st he was removed to hospital from Kensington as a case of small-pox.
There is good reason to believe that Cases 7, 8, and 9 were due to F. K., and also that the
case of E. B., a female assistant who was removed from her home in Marylebone, was also due to
the same origin. E. B. sickened on November 16th, and her case terminated fatally.
Case No. 10.—G. G., f., 27. Date of onset uncertain, probably 17th November; rash out
21st November; to hospital 21st November. Patient a lady of no
occupation; vaccination history not known.
Patient came from West Norwood on 17th November, feeling ill. She was infected from
some untraced source outside the Borough.
Case No. 11.—L. L., f., 15. Onset 24th November; rash out 26th November; to hospital
27th November. Patient a dressmaker's " trotter "; unvaccinated until
25th November.
This patient was the daughter of P. L. (Case No. 6). When inquiries were made on the
occurrence of R. L.'s case no information was given of the daughter, and she was in consequence
not vaccinated. She continued at work until she sickened.